^ 63d Congress ) 
2d Session j 


SENATE 


/ Document 
I No. 611 


\ 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS 


REPORT 

OF 

A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL 
JEWISH IMMIGRATION COUNCIL 

APPOINTED TO EXAMINE INTO THE 
QUESTION OF ILLITERACY AMONG 
JEWISH IMMIGRANTS AND ITS CAUSES 



, i 

PRESENTED BY MR. O’GORMAN 
March 24, 1914. — Referred to the Committee on Printing 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 
1914 












REPORTED BY MR'. CHILTON. 

f ^ I 

In the Senate of the United States, 

October 21^ 19H. 

Resolved^ That an article presented in the Senate by the Senator 
from New York (Mr. O’Gorman) March 24,1914, entitled “ Illiteracy^ 
Among Jewish Immigrants and Its Causes,” be printed as a public^ 
document. 

Attest: 

James M. Baker, Secretary. ' 


0. OF 

NOV !3 f914 


2 








LETTER OF SUBMITTAL. 


170 Broadway, March 18^ 191k- 

Mt Deak Senator: In connection wHh Sn|?was 

lill a committee of the National J iHitpracv among Jewish 

.ppoinled to “‘“?™ It ’”^“010 Ike matte Ikoroaghly 

ss”™<i‘S. *dS* — f. rtSi yoi'K 

id kS ? toX S = iXtTm., teeU. . 

Senate document and be ^ provisions of the 

„ot you.,, 


Hon. Jaaies A. O’Goraian, + ^ t) c 

United States Senate, Washington, D. C. 















^LITERACY AMONG JEWISH IMMIGRANTS AND 

ITS CAUSES. 


1 Differences of opinion as to the extent of illiteracy among Jewish 
(mmigrants induced the National Jewish Immigration Council to 
ippoint a special committee of investigation, which hereby reports 
:he results of its investigations. 

According to the report of the United States Immigration Com¬ 
mission (vol. 4, entitled “ Emigration Conditions in Europe,” p. 30, 
Table 15), the total illiteracy (inability to read or write any language 
3r dialect) of Hebrew immigrants 14 years of age and over admitted 
mto the United States in the fiscal years of 1899 to 1909, inclusive, 
vas 25.1 per cent. In 1910, according to the report of the Commis- 
doner General of Immigration of that year, the total Jewish illit- 
iracy of admitted immigrants was 28.8 per cent; in 1911 it was 25.1 
3er cent; in 1912, 25 per cent; and in 1913, 21 per cent. Adding 
jthese four years to the period covered by the Government’s figures 
we find that the total Jewish illiteracy for 1899 to 1913 was 25.1 per 
3ent, thus maintaining'the average up to 1909. The relative distri- 
3ution of illiteracy between Jewish male and female immigrants over 
L4 years of age is indicated by the figures for 1912, when the per¬ 
centage of illiteracy among males was about 16J per cent and among 
females 33 per cent, the latter being twice as high as the former. 
According to the Eussian census of 1897, which is the last one pub¬ 
lished, the total percentage of illiteracy of elews in Eussia, of persons 
10 years of age or over for both sexes, was 49.9 per cent. The gen¬ 
eral illiteracy in Eussia for all races and creeds, according to the 
Lme census, was much higher—72 per cent. (Emigration Condi¬ 
tions in Europe, p. 343.) 

It is evident from a comparison of the illiteracy of Jewish immi¬ 
grants who come to this country and of Jewish illiteracy in Eussia 
(from which country the bulk of Jewish immigration comes) that 
the class of Jewish immigrants who arrive here is, in education, 
above the average shown by their coreligionists abroad. For if it 
were assumed that only the average Jewish immigrant comes to 
these shores, then Ave would expect to find a greater illiteracy pre- 
i^ailing amongst Jewish immigrants than the figures show. The 
Jewish immigrants who come to this country are thus shown to 
represent a higher educational standard than that evidenced by the 
iverage JeAvs in Eussia. Notwithstanding this fact, the percentage 
jf illiteracy amongst Jewish immigrants to this country is still, as 
las been shown, 25.1 per cent for the last 13 years. 

While there Avas no disposition to doubt the accuracy of our Gov- 
jrnment’s figures as to JeAvish illiteracy, it was considered advisable 
:o make an independent investigation of incoming immigrpts Avith 
reference to their ability to read or Avrite, specifically including 

5 











6 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 




Hebrew and Yiddish. These investigations were threefold: Th 
first was under the direction of the Council of JeAvish Women o 
New York City, which, through a trustworthy representative, intei 
Adewed 1,887 female immigrants immediately after their admissio 
(March to June, 1913). The ansAvers to questions as to literacy o 
illiteracy were noted on special cards printed for that purpose, Avhic^ 
thereafter Avere compared with the Government figures. The grea' 
majority of the immigrants thus questioned were betAveen the ages o: 
14 and 25, from which fact the inference might fairly be drawn tha 
the degree of literacy would be higher than amongst females o 
all ages. 

According to the GoA^ernment figures, as noted on the steamship 
manifests, of these 1,887 female immigrants 17.3 per cent Avere illit¬ 
erate, while, according to the investigation conducted by the Council 
of Jewish Women, the illiteracy shown Avas 15.4 per cent, substan¬ 
tially confirming the Government’s figures regarding the same per¬ 
sons. 

The second investigation Avas conducted by a qualified statistician 
who was given the privilege of intervieAving 240 Jewish immigrants 
who arriA^ed at Ellis Island during the month of November, 1913. O: 
this number there Avere 130 male and 110 female immigrants. Thti 
inA^estigator questioned these immigrants Avith the aid of publica¬ 
tions in A^arious languages and also utilized the HebreAV prayer book. 
The result of his inquiry summarized is as follows: Of 130 male, 
immigrants the GoA^ernment figures shoAved a total illiteracy of 12.3 
per cent, while the investigator’s figures shoAved a total illiteracy of 
8.5 per cent; of 110 female immigrants the GoA^ernment figures 
shoAved a total illiteracy of 18.2 per cent, Avhile those of the special 
inA^estigator shoAved an illiteracy of 25.4 per cent. In this cold month 
sturdier, and therefore younger, immigrants may be expected to 
emigrate than ordinarily, Avho are therefore also presumably better 
educated than summer arrivals. 

Summarized, therefore, for 240 immigrants the steamship mani-; 
fests shoAved an illiteracy of 15 per cent, Avhile the private inA^estiga-, 
tion showed an illiteracy of 16.7 per cent. 

In connection Avith the male illiteracy, as shoAvn by the private in-\ 
A^estigation, it should be noted that 11 immigrants aaIio could merely/ 
read the HebreAv prayer book Avere considered by the investigator to 
be illiterate, in order to conform with the provisions of the projected 
Burnett bill, but under Avhich provision it is questionable Avhether a,, 
man Avho can only read the HebreAv prayer book would be considered! 
literate. Similarly 8 of the female immigrants avIio could only read 
the Hebrew prayer book Avere considered by the investigator illiterate. 

Explanation should be made of the causes for noting these 19 im¬ 
migrants as illiterate. Beading the HebreAv prayer book partakes of 
the nature of a mechanical operation. It has been knoAvn that per¬ 
sons able to read the prayer book Avere not able to read the HebreAV 
language in any other form. 

The third inA^estigation Avas' conducted by the JeAvish Immigrants^ 
Information Bureau, Avhich intervieAved at Galveston, Tex., 1,029 
male immigrants and 255 female immigrants from July 7 to Novem-, 
ber 1, 1913, inclusiA^e. The results of the inquiry Avere then comparedi 
Avith the GoAwnment figures, and the result folloAvs: Of 1,029 mal^ 




JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


7 


immigrants the bureau found that 15 per cent were totally illiterate, 
and the Government figures tally. Of 255 female immigrants the 
bureau found a total illiteracy of 39 per cent, while the Government 
figures show a total illiteracy of 40 per cent. 

From March to June, 1913, a previous investigation had been made 
by this same bureau of 389 immigrants, of which 351 were male and 
38 female. According to the bureau, of these 389 immigrants there 
was a total illiteracy of 14.7 per cent, while the Government fignires 
showed an illiteracy of 17.5 per cent. 

A study of the figures resulting from the three private investiga¬ 
tions indicates that there is little or no deviation between the Gov¬ 
ernment figures and those of the private investigations. 

In noting that the entire Jewish illiteracy for 11 years, as shown 
by the commission, is 25.7 per cent, it should be taken into account 
that the relatively large proportion of female Jewish immigration 
to this country pushes up the total illiteracy rate, for it is a fact that 
the percentage of illiterac}^ is far greater amongst Jewish females 
than it is amongst males. On this point it might be interesting to 
mention that from 1899 to 1910 the Jewish female immigration was 
43.4 per cent of the total Jewish immigration, while for that period 
the total female immigration of all races was 30,5 per cent of the 
whole number of male and female immigrants. 

This large Jewish female immigration is therefore a contributing 
cause to the prevailing rate of illiteracy amongst Jewish immigra¬ 
tion in general. 

An exemption in the literacy test with regard to Jewish females 
coming to certain specified near relatives would not be a material 
counterweighing influence because of the fact that the bulk of the 
female Jewish immigrants come without having parent or husband 
here. 

The analysis of the illiteracy of Jewish immigrants would be in¬ 
complete without a study of the educational conditions prevailing in 
the countries Avhere they come from. Selection has been made of 
Russia and Roumania because, first, as noted before, the bulk of 
Jewish immigration comes from those countries; and, secondly, 
because in those countries the Jew is a subject to religious and 
political persecutions of sweeping character, particularly afi'ecting 
educational opportunities. 

Concerning Russia, in addition to the legal and religious disabili¬ 
ties directed against the Jews, sweeping restrictions are also made 
debarring them from a full and free attendance in elementary 
schools. For example: 

{a) The limitations of the number of Jewish pupils in secondary 
governmental schools is 10 per cent (statement by Jewish Colo¬ 
nization Association, 1910). Though not applicable to elementary 
schools, the rule is arbitrarily applied there, too. This limitation 
becomes all the more serious when it is noted that the facilities 
for elementary education in Russia permit only 40 out of every 1,000 
in the entire Russian Empire to attend common schools (Encyclo¬ 
pedia of Pavlenkofi”, 1910). The ratio in England is 17G; Italy, 83; 
Germany, 158; France, 144. Scarcely any public schools were estab¬ 
lished in the sections where the JeAvs reside in numbers. 
j {h) The Jews in the Russian pale therefore Avere compelled at 
1 their oAvn expense and initiatiA^e to found private schools to permit a 



y 

/ 


8 JEWISH IMMIGRi^NTS. 

larger proportion to get the benefits of a school education than the 
Government allowed. But the Government placed every obstacle in 
the way of their opening such private schools (report of officials of 
International Colonization Association to the United States Immi¬ 
gration Commission, vol. 4, p. 277), and increasing poverty further 
retards these efforts. 

It is true that the Kussian Government, in order to provide par¬ 
tially for the education of Jewish children who are debarred from 
general schools, founded a few special Government schools which 
depended upon a very limited fund. The number of such schools at 
the end of the last century was determined to be 183, with an average 
of 113 pupils for each school, or a total of 20,679. (P. 344, vol. 4, 

United States Immigration Commission reports, quoting Dr. I. M. 
Eubinow’s article on the “Economic conditions of the Jews in Kus- 
sia,” Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 72, Septem-. 
ber, 1907.) The Jews therefore had to supplement these schools 
with the institution known as the “ chedar.” The chedar is a de¬ 
nominational school, the purpose of which is instruction in the Bible 
and Jewish religion and learning. According to the investigation 
of the Jewish Colonization Association in 1904 (p. 346, Dr. Rubi- 
now’s article, above quoted), which collated data from 507 localities 
with a Jewish population of 1,420,000, there were found 7,145 
chedars. From this date the estimated total number of existing 
chedars was, at the time, 24,000. The average number of pupils to 
each chedar was found to be 13.7 per cent (according to investigation 
of the Imperial Russian Free Economic Society, page 345, above- 
quoted article) ; therefore these 24,000 chedars evidently contained 
about 329,000 pupils. The total number of Jewish children of school 
age is, however, estimated by Dr. Rubinow to be more than 700,000. 
(p- 345, article above quoted.) 

Attention should be called to the fact that in these 507 districts 
investigated by the International Colonization Association only 8 per 
cent of Jewish girls were found to frequent the chedarim, and in this 
connection it should be noted that the Russian Government opposes 
the creation of chedarim for girls. (Economic Status of the Jews in 
Russia, published by the International Colonization Association, 
1904.) 

Concerning the chedarim. Dr. Rubinow notes (p. 346, above-quoted 
article of Dr. I. N. Rubinow) that although the chedar has an im¬ 
portant function to fulfill— 

it does not follow that it does it in a satisfactory manner. * * * 

methods are antiquated and the environments indescribably bad. * * * 

air in the improvised schoolrooms has often been described as killing. * ♦ 

These objectionable features of the typical chedar are accentuated by the 
excessively long hours. * * * The school day begins at 9 a. m. and endst 
at 5, sometimes at 6, or even 8 p. m., so that the school day lasts anywhere 
from 8 to 11 hours. 

(c) The American Jewish Yearbook annually compiles a list of 
events affecting Jews in various countries. From the yearbook of 
1913, page 320, we find the following Russian educational restric¬ 
tions directed against Jews: j 

August, 1912 .—Many private schools are closed as a result of anti-Jewish ciid 
culars of the ministry of education. 

September, 1912 .—At Beredicheff no Jewish child admitted this year to local 
schools. At Brodsky course for Jewish teachers prohibited from admitting 




JEWISH IMMIGEANTS. 


9 


those without right of residence. A member of Kiew education department 
orders that at Beredicheff, where Jews contribute 96 per cent of maintenance 
funds, no Jewish students be accepted, percentage norm having been exceeded. 

March, 1913. —Ministry of edncation drafts new regulation providing that 
percentage norm shall be calculated on a basis of total number of students on 
roll at a school and not on total number of students admitted. 

May, 1913. —Ministry of Edncation orders that vacancies for Jews according 
to percentage norm shall be filled by lot and not according to standing at 
entrance examination, as heretofore, 

June, 1913. —Government commission considers the introduction of formal 
percentage norm in elementary schools for Jews. 

July, 1911 (p. 151),—Revision of percentage norm of students to be admitted 
this year to educational institutions will result in total exclusion of Jews in 
many cases and admit only an insignificant number in others. 

July, 1910 (p. 154).—Elementary schools hitherto not enforcing restrictions 
henceforth will admit Jews only in limited numbers. 

(d) The Jewish Colonization Association of St. Petersburg in 1904 
published a book on the economic status of the Jews in Russia, which 
book was the basis of Dr. Rubinow’s article referred to in (&). In 
this publication the following is noted: 

The principals of the public schools are often instructed by ministerial cir¬ 
culars to rigorously enforce the rules that all pupils should perform the written 
school exercises on Saturdays and on Jewish holidays. 

The inference is therefore inevitable that on such days the attend¬ 
ance of Jewish children is considerably curtailed. 

(e) That the public-school system of Russia is inadequate is fur¬ 
ther indicated by the fact that the expenditures of the Russian 
Government for education amount to 3 per cent of its budget. (En¬ 
cyclopedia of Pavlenkoff, 1910.) On this point the following figures 
are interesting. According to an article entitled “ Education in 
Russia,” by Prof. Simkhovitch, in the Educational Review, May, 
1907, in 1900 there were 84,544 elementary schools in the Russian 
Empire, with 172,494 teachers and 4,507,827 pupils. Out of this 
number 47.5 per cent of the schools were under the management of 
the ministry of education and 424 per cent were parochial schools 
under the synod. 

Ever increasing economic distress among the Jews in Russia makes 
it daily more difficult for eJews residing there to secure the funds 
necessary to provide instruction for their children even at the chedars 
which the Government permits to be maintained. 

(/) The anti-Jewish educational discriminations in Russia have 
become so shocking that at a recent national educational congress 
held in St. Petersburg in January, 1914, rigorous resolutions of pro¬ 
test were adopted by the 6,000 teachers of all races and creeds who 
attended. These proceedings were reported in the New York Even¬ 
ing Sun of February 3, 1914, as follows: 

Education for Jews in Russia—Teachers’ Conference Favors Impartiality— 

Government Opposed—Many Impediments Encountered by Prooressives. 

At the first all-Riissiaii conference on primary education recently held in St. 
Petersburg it was resolved by the thousands of teachers and educationists who 
attended from all parts of the Empire that the .Jewish inhabitants of Russia 
ought not to be discriminated against in the matter of education. The resolu¬ 
tion adopted by the committee appointed to deal with the subject of schools 
tor non-Russian races reads as follows: 


10 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


“ Whereas the ri^ht to edneatioii must he considered as inalienable, while 
the residential and educational restrictions practically deprive a large portion 
of the Jewish population of that right; and whereas the restrictive laws pro¬ 
duce a demoralizing effect on both Jews and Christians, while their application 
is injurious from the point of view of the State and educational work, this con¬ 
ference advocates the abolition of the said restrictive laws for the .Jewish 
population.” 

On the motion of M. Smirnoff another resolution condemning all manifesta¬ 
tions of anti-Semitism in the schools and calling upon the teachers to counter¬ 
act such tendencies was adopted. 

The St. Petersburg correspondent of a London weekly writes that attempts 
were made at first to “ pack ” the conference with members the St. Petersburg 
authorities thought were politically trustworthy. Says this correspondent: 

“ The fact that a teachers’ conference could only be held this year for the 
first time sufficiently illustrates the attitude of the Russian Government toward 
primary education. But even on this occasion the conference could only obtain 
permission to meet owing to the accident that at the head of the organizing 
committee was Senator Mainontoff. a man of great influence through his per¬ 
sonal and family connections. He alone was able to overcome the innumerable 
impediments placed by the bureaucracy in the way of the conference. At first 
the St. Petersburg authorities thought they would be able to keep the organiza¬ 
tion of the conference in their own hands and through their local agents to 
pack it with none but the politically ‘trustworthy’ elements of the teaching 
body. It soon became clear, however, that the idea of the conference had at¬ 
tracted the most liberally minded educationists in the most forlorn corners of 
the Empire and that a wholesale pilgrimage of teachers to St. Petersburg was 
to be expected during the holiday season. 

“ OFFICIAL IMPEDIMENTS. 

“ Then the bureaucracy radically changed its attitude toward the conference. 
Wherever the teachers were suspected of political ‘ untrustworthiness ’ the 
local authorities either refused them leave of absence altogether or accompanied 
their permission bj^ such burdensome conditions that the .loiirney to St. Peters¬ 
burg proved impossible. One lady teacher from Tashkent, for instance, was 
promised leave on condition that she should start on January 4 and return by 
January 20. Since .January 4 was the opening day of the conference, while the 
journey from Tashkent to St. Petersburg takes five days, the emptiness of this 
concession is obvious. At the same time the official Rossia began to publish 
minatory articles warning the teachers that nothing in the way of ix>litics would 
be allowed at the conference, which would be closed at the slightest attempt 
ti> overstep the limits imposed. 

“ But, in spite of everything, the conference was attended by over 6,000 
teachers from every corner of Russia, and the spirit displayed by its members 
was one of pronounced antagonism to the Government.” 

JMEMORANDUM FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COLONIZATION ASSOCIATION, 

ST. PETERSBURG. 

The rights of the Jewish subjects of Eussia with reference to 
education, residence, and civil service are fixed not alone by laws 
but by administrative regulations and by the good will of the au 
thorities. Any change of officials (for example, in the ministry oi 
culture and education) creates misgivings in the minds of the Jewish 
parents and their children and the fear that conditions may become 
worse. The welfare of the Jewish children of school age depends 
on the mood, the character, and the inclinations of the new officials. 
The administrators in the department of education invariably ad¬ 
just themselves to the views of their superiors. The change in 
officials therefore results frequently in the closing of the doors of 
schools to Jewish children. 



JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


II 


According to tlie census of 1897 the Jewish population of Russia 
constituted d per cent of the total population. The report of the 
minister of culture and education for 1911 shows the following 
statistics as to attendance in the State public schools: 


Totnl number of pupils_ 

Jewish pupils_ 

Per cent of Jewish pupils 


4, 74G, 736 
69, 358 
1.46 


As a matter of fact the percentage of Jewish pupils is even less 
than 1.46 per cent, because a large number of Christian children at¬ 
tend the parochial schools, in which the number of Jewish pupils is 
negligible. 

According to private investigations there were, in 1910, 920 special 
Jeivish elementary schools (State, communal, and private schools). 
The number of pupils was about 90,000. Thus the total number of 
Jewish pupils in 1911 frequenting any form of elementary school 
under the supervision of the Government aggregated 170,000. As¬ 
suming that the Jewish population in Russia is 6,000,000 and that the 
percentage of Jewish children of school age is 9 out of every 100, we 
arrive at the conclusion that the number of Jewish pupils in schools 
ought to reach 540,000; as a matter of fact the number, as we have 
seen, is only 170,000. • Therefore only 31.5 per cent of Jewish 
children attend elementary schools. We can not vouch for the ab¬ 
solute accuracy of the above figures because of the lack of satisfac¬ 
tory statistics with reference to matters of education in Russia. The 
material colected by the census of 1911 has not yet been published 
in its entirety. At this writing the result of the census is known 
only with regard to one educational district—that of Kiev. That dis¬ 
trict includes the Provinces of Iviev, Podolia, Wolina, Poltawa, and 
Czernigow. Although these Provinces are within the Pale of Jew¬ 
ish settlement it should be noted that the percentage of Jewish popu¬ 
lation in these sections according to the census of 1897 is 9.8 per 
cent, while that of the northwest districts is 14.14 per cent and 
Russian Poland 14.68 per cent. Bearing in mind the a!)ove fact, 
the following are the figures for the Kiev educational district on 
January 1, 1911, according to the report of the minister of culture 
and education: 

Schools_ 4, 445 

Total number of pupils- 366, 383 

Jewish pupils- 30,138 

per cent of Jewish pupils- 9.5 

And according to the report of the Orthodox church: 

Parochial schools_ 5,843 

Total number of pupils---318,153 

Jewish pupils- 3, 671 

Per cent of Jewish pupils- ^ 0.84 

Total number of pupils- 684. 536 

Total number of Jewish pupils- 32, 809 

Total per cent of Jewish pupils- 4. 8 

These figures are the more significant if Ave take into account tlie 
fact that the State public elementary schools exist mainly in cities 
and towns, and there the Jewish population is concentrated. Ac- 


(} 
















12 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 




cording to the census of 1897 the percentage of Jewish population in 
the Kiev educational district is as follows: 

Per cent. 


Beredichew_ 

Kiev_ 

Shytomir_ 

Krementschug_ 

Uman_ 

Kamanetz Podolsk 

Kowuo_ 

Winnitza_ 

Poltawa_ 

Czerkassy _ 

Czernygod_ 


78. 0 
12.9 
48. 9 
47. 2 
57. 8 

45.1 

56.1 
38. 2 
20.4 
37. 0 

36.2 


The following are the detailed statistics of pupils attending the 
State elementary schools according to the unpublished report of tha 
procurator of the Kiev education district for 1911 (see the Bulletin 
of the Jewish Association of Instruction, 1912) : 


Government. 

Total niimber of 
pupils. 

, Jewish. 

Per cent Jewish. 

Boys. 

Girls. 

Boys. 

Girls. 

Boys. 

Girls. 

Kiew. 

49,406 

20,640 

1,806 

2,846 

3.6 

13.7 

Podolia. 

31,422 

9,499 

649 

1,078 

2.0 

11.3 

Wohliner. 

44,330 

16,524 

971 

1,718( 

2.2 

10.4 

Czemigow. 

77,987 

26,569 

550 

1,840 

.7 

6.9 

Poltowa. 

93,453 

27,128 

541 

1,303 

.5 

4.8 


✓ 

Total number. 396,958 

Jewish.. 13,302 

Per cent of Jewish pupils. 3. 4 


The above figures show that more Jewish boys are debarred from 
attending elementary schools than Jewish girls. This is due to the 
fact, on the one hand, that Christian girls are not eager to receive 
education in elementary schools and, on the other hand, is the out¬ 
come of a rigorous policy on the part of the authorities in the ele¬ 
mentary schools not to admit, as far as possible, Jewish boys to 
school. The same rigor is not applied to Jewish girls. 

We wish to ijoint out that the procurator of the Kiev education 
district congratulates himself in his report of 1911 for having suc¬ 
ceeded in reducing the percentage of Jewish population to 8.4 per 
cent, while in previous years the percentage had been higher. 

Regarding private Jewish elementary schools, according to the 
census for 1911 there were in 19 Jewish State schools 3,482 pupils 
and in 75 Jewish communal schools 8,628 pupils, making a total of 
12,110. It should be borne in mind that we do not here refer to the 
chedarim registered and those which are not registered but exist de 
facto, nor chedarim supported by priA^ate persons. 

We get an inferential summary of pupils in Jewish private schools 
by subtracting from the total number of pupils in the elementary 
schools of the Kiev education district—to wit, 30,138—the number 
25,412 (Avhich represents 13,302 Jewish pupils in general elementary 
schools and 12,110 pupils in private Jewish State and communal 
schools), Avhich leaA'CS 4,726 pupils. 


I 






































( 


JEWISH IMMIGEANTS. . 13 

We will now take up the instructions of the school authorities, the 
purpose of which is to restrict as much as possible the admission of 
Jewish children to elementary schools. Unfortunately the Jewish 
subjects in Russia are frequently denied what the written law allows 
them. Too frequently what is permitted and what is prohibited is 
but the humor or spleen of the officials and executive authorities. 
The establishment of new Jewish schools is almost entirely pro¬ 
hibited. For instance, the Jewish community of Kiev struggled 
from four to five years before it was permitted to establish an ele¬ 
mentary school with a four years’ course for Jewish children. The 
Jewish schools in existence are overcrowded. The admission of Jew¬ 
ish children to the general elementary schools is illusory. In addition, 
the number of elementary schools is limited. The authorities of the 
educational department are not favorably disposed to the ambition 
of the Jewish population to reform the chedarim to bring them up 
to the standard of the ordinary elementary schools. The chedarim 
are religious schools of a primitive nature. Hundreds of thousands 
of Jewish pupils spend the best years of their youth in these insani¬ 
tary chedarim, in which the instruction lacks a pedagogical system, 
and in which nothing is learned except some knowledge of the Jewish 
religion. Reading is taught only to the extent of learning the prayers 
and religious texts. 

The wisdom obtained by the Jewish children in these chedarim is 
of small value, while the deplorable physical conditions of the 
chedarim ruin them physically. Modernized Jewish people are 
anxious to reform them in every particular—to make the atmosphere 
hygienic and to introduce pedagogical methods. But they are handi¬ 
capped by “rules, circulars, instructions, and ukases.” For exam¬ 
ple, as a rule nothing but the teaching of religion and religious laws 
is permitted; reading and writing is allowed, but only in so far as 
I'eligious instruction requires. Teaching of general “ profane ” sub- 
jetcs, even in Yiddish, is strictly prohibited. The chedarim must in 
no way be like the school. The following fact is of interest (see 
bulletin of the Jewish Association for Instruction No. 23, Sept., 
1913) : On April 17, 1903, the director of public schools of the Prov¬ 
ince of Mohilew permitted the Jewish community of Lukoml to 
establish a chedar providing for a teaching program to include the 
Russian language, writing, and arithmetic. On the strength of this 
permission this chedar was in existence for 11 years, and achieved 
such success that it developed into a regular school and owns its 
building. In May, 1913, the inspector of schools was on an inspec¬ 
tion tour in Lukoml and learned that this chedar had acquired the 
character of a regular elementary school. He ordered it immediately 
closed. By this order 200 Jewish children were deprived of the op¬ 
portunity of receiving an elementary education. 

The following are additional facts illustrative of the policy of the 
Russian Government toward the Jews: 

(1) Wolkowinzy, Province of Podolia: In this city there are 500 
Jewish families and not a Jewish school. In 1903 an elementary 
school with a one-class course was established; the Jewish com¬ 
munity granted this school 2,000 roubles out of the funds of the meat 
tax, on the condition that Jewish children be admitted to this school. 


14 


JEWISH IMMIGKANTS. 


As a matter of fact not one Jewish child was permitted to attend this 
school (bulletin of the Jewish Association for Instruction, Dec., 
1910, No. 21). 

(2) Swenjion, Province of Wilna: There are two schools for girls, 
one a parochial and the other a pregymnasium. Jewish girls are 
admitted only in rare exceptions. 

(3 The city school commission of Kiev formulated new rules regu¬ 
lating the admission of pupils to the city schools. Upon the sugges¬ 
tion of the president of the committee Christian pupils have the pref¬ 
erence of admission. 

(4) Illinetz, Province of Wolina: At the beginning of the school 
year 6 Jewg and 27 Christians were admitted to the local city school. 
It should be noted that the Jewish community of this town contrib¬ 
uted 20,000 roubles to the school on condition that there should be no 
discrimination as to nationality in permitting admission to this 
school. In spite of the promise of the school authorities to agree to 
this provision a great number of Jewish children are refused admis¬ 
sion. 

(5) The Kiev Post reports: 

Mr. Siiosko-Borowsky, a member of the Zematvo of Kanew and commissioner 
of education, visited the two-class school of Kanew. His attention was called 
to a Jewish girl, whom he addressed as follows: 

“ Well, Jewess, answer.” 

As the girl replied that she was a Russian girl, Mr. Snosko-Borowsky ordered 
that all the Jewish boys and girls of the schools should be shown to him. Natu¬ 
rally all the children became nervous and could not properly answer the ques¬ 
tions asked them. Mr. Snosko-Borowsky as commissioner of education ordered 
that a list be made of all the Jewish pupils and suggested that they should be 
discharged. 

(6) The Young Clerks’ Jewish Association of Poltawa applied for 
permission to establish a Saturday evening school for adtdts. The 
application was rejected by the school authorities and no reason for 
this action tvas given. 

(7) The Association for Propaganda of Instruction Among Jews 
applied for permission to establish an elementary high school for 
adults in Minsk. At first the application was rejected. The result 
of a personal interview was the promise that permission would be 
granted for a night school in connection with the existing State ele¬ 
mentary school. The association renewed its application, accepting 
the above modification. Again the application was rejected for the 
only reason that the association wanted to connect the night school 
with the elementary school. A third request was also rejected be¬ 
cause the governor of Minsk had not been requested to give his 
opinion and because the program proposed for the new school was 
not satisfactory. 

(8) The Association for the Encouragement of Trade Among 
Schools applied for permission to establish a night school for carpen¬ 
ters in Zshytomir. The purpose of this school was to familiarize 
carpenters Avith the most advanced methods in their trade and to 
teach them painting and polishing of furniture, etc. The application 
was rejected and no cause was giA^en for this action. 

(9) There is no law creating a percentage norm for the admission 
of JeAvish children to the two-class elementary schools. Nevertheless 


I 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 15 

Jewish children as a rule are not admitted to elementary schools in 
the government of Kowno. 

The above citations are only a few examples chosen from a great 
many similar occurrences. 

MEMORANDUM FROM THE ITO IN KIEV, RUSSIA. 

The right of attendance by Jewish children in Russian schools is 
not restricted so much by written laws as by the executive power of 
the imperial authorities, notably the minister of culture and educa¬ 
tion. The long series of circulars issued by the minister during the 
past 25 to 30 years have made the right of JeAvish subjects to attend 
either State elementary schools or high schools, as well as universities 
and technical high schools, almost illusory. In many cases the cir¬ 
culars abrogate this right. Such restrictive circulars are published 
in the official journal of the Government, particularly in the bulletins 
of the minister of culture and education and in the Bulletin of Public 
Instruction. The percentage norm of Jewish subjects who are per¬ 
mitted to receive elementary education is determined in secret cir¬ 
culars directly distributed by the minister to the local authorities in 
charge of public instruction and to advisory boards of local munici¬ 
palities. It is a fact that the authorities of those municipalities in 
which JeAvs have no representation on the governing boards restrict 
the rights of Jcavs to a greater extent than intended by the ministerial 
circulars. Very often municipalities entirely close the doors of 
schools to Jewish children. 

There are no restrictions in the general Avritten laAvs debarring 
JeAvish children from receiAung elementary education. Section 966, 
A'olume 9, of the Russian Code reads as follows: 

Children of Jewish parents are admitted to public goA’ernmental schools, as 
well as to private schools, without any discrimination in all cities where their 
parents are lawfully permitted to live. 

Section 3146 of the code, Amlume 11, concerning schools under the 
supervision of the minister of culture, reads as folloAvs: 

Children not less than 7 years of age are admitted to municipal schools with¬ 
out discrimination as to social class or faith. 

It is Avell knoAvn that these hiAvs are but dead letters and that ele¬ 
mentary instruction is also hedged about for JeAvish children by 
restrictiA^e decrees and ministerial circulars Avhich nullify the aboA^e- 
mentioned laAvs. These circulars are neA^er published; they are 
secretly directed to the respectiA-e authorities, and their publication 
is prohibited. One circular issued by the minister in 1911 prescribed 
that JeAvish children be admitted to elementary schools only after 
the non-JeAvish children Avho haA-e applied for admission have been 
placed and Avhen A^acancies are thereafter left. This decree has been 
promjitly carried out in all elementary Government or municipal 
schools. As the number of elementary schools in Russia is A^ery small 
and can not provide for all the non-JeAvish children avIio make ap¬ 
plication for admission, there is no opportunity for JeAvish children 
to receiA^e education in primary schools. Thousands of JeAvish chil¬ 
dren Avho so apply are rejected. 


16 


JEWISH IMMIGEANTS. 


According to a statement issued by the minister of culture and edu¬ 
cation dated January 1, 1913, 143,566 pupils attended municipal ele¬ 
mentary schools; of these only 10,206, or T.l per cent, were Jewish 
pupils. The governmental elementary schools (State schools) had a 
total enrollment of 541,741 pupils, of which 55,002, or 1.2 per cent, 
were Jewish. In cities of the Pale, where Jewish children form 70 
per cent of the total population of children of school age, the number 
of Jewish pupils in the municipal elementary schools is from 13 to 28 
per cent, and in the governmental schools only from 2 to 3 per cent. 
There is little doubt that as a consequence of the powerful anti- 
Semitic agitation the number of Jewish pupils in the State elemen¬ 
tary schools is diminishing. In man}^ State and municipal elemen¬ 
tary schools Jewish pupils are absolutely refused admission. The 
fact that under the law Jewish subjects are supposed to be permitted 
to run private and communal schools having the program of State 
schools does not ameliorate this condition, because it is very difficult 
for Jewish subjects to procure licenses to open such schools. Under 
these conditions it is not be w^ondered at that Jewish illiteracy is high. 
According to the figures of the Commissioner General of Immigra¬ 
tion of the United States for 1912, the percentage of Jewish illiteracy 
was 13.2 per cent for male and 25.1 per cent for female immigrants; 
the percentage of illiterate Poles was 29.1 per cent male and 32.7 per 
cent female; the percentage of illiterate Russians, 35.4 per cent male 
and 50 per cent female. 

INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOLS, UNIVERSITIES, AND PROVINCIAL SCHOOLS. 

The admission of Jews to high schools and universities is limited to 
a very low percentage. This percentage norm was fixed for high 
schools by circular No. 10313 of the minister of culture and educa¬ 
tion, dated June 10, 1887, and for universities by circular No. 6942 of 
the minister of culture and education, dated May 11, 1888. Such 
per cent limitations became a law in 1910. According to this law the 
percentage norm of Jewish students admitted to universities in capi¬ 
tals (St. Petersburg and Moscow) was fixed at 3 per cent of the total 
number of enrollment; in universities in cities not in the Pale of 
Jewish settlement, 5 per cent; universities within the Pale of settle¬ 
ment, 10 per cent. For high schools the following norm was estab¬ 
lished: In the capitals, 5 per cent; Avithin the Pale, 15 per cent; out¬ 
side the Pale, 10 per cent. It should be noted in this connection that 
the Jewish population in the cities of the Pale form 48.8 per cent of 
the total popidation, and in the districts of Russian Poland and 
southern Russia 62 per cent. 

During the past two or three years the laAv of per cent limitations 
was extended also to professional schools, such as the school for nurses, 
the school for inidwiA^es, and musical institutions, for which schools 
there had hitherto been no percentage limitations. These profes¬ 
sional schools are not largely attended by non-Jews, and the result en¬ 
sued that such schools Avere practically unattended and were com¬ 
pelled to suspend through lack of students. In the years 1905 to 1908 
the percentage limitation was not adhered to as rigorously as hitherto, 
and as a result the high schools and universities Avere attended by 
Jewish students in numbers far exceeding the per cent norm. Hoav- 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


17 


ever, the minister of culture interpreted the law of 1910 to mean that 
the percentage of new Jewish students in the higher education should 
be not in proportion to the new non-Jewish students, but in propor¬ 
tion to the total number of students already attending the institu¬ 
tions in question. As a consequence, for many years large numbers 
of Jewish students were not admitted to many universities and high 
schools. 

The admission of Jewish students to high schools and universities 
outside the Pale was further restricted by a circular of the minister 
of culture decreeing that Jewish students must first submit satis¬ 
factory evidence proving their right of residence in the localities in 
question. 

In 1911 the law of percentage limitation was extended to those 
students who are called externes, that is students, who while not 
attending high schools wish to pass the examination of such schools. 
As there are only very few non-Jewish externes, the Jewish externes 
have almost no opportunity whatsoever of taking high-school ex¬ 
amination. 

LAW AND LIFE. 

CONCERNING THE RIGHTS OF JEWISH SUBJECTS TO RECEIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION. 


[Paper read by Mr. Goldberg, of the Russian bar. before the National Educational Con¬ 
gress in St. Petersburg, .January, 1910.] 

The law makes no restrictions regarding the rights of Jewish 
children to receive elementary education. By referring to section 
787, volume 9, of the Code of Civil Rights (edition 1909) it will be 
seen that Jewish children are permitted to attend Government ele¬ 
mentary schools, private schools, and ‘‘ pensions ” in the same manner 
as children of any other nationalities. The only restriction is that 
such attendance is confined to those sections of the Empire where' the 
parents of the children have established their right of residence. 
Education is compulsory for children whose parents are licensed 
merchants and titled citizens, in Government public schools, and in 
those sections where such schools are not in existence, then in private 
schools sanctioned by the Government. The above law receives con¬ 
stant repetition in varying forms of expression in many subdivisions 
of this code, and especially with reference to “gymnasium,” “real 
schools,” elementary schools, and village schools (refer to secs. 1487. 
1709, 3146, 3247, 3474, vol. 11, pt. 1 of the Consolidated Code.) 

In all these sections it is clearly stated that all children are to be 
admitted to the above schools without distinction of race, creed, or 
social standing. It might therefore be assumed from these liberal 
laws that the doors of all educational institutions are open to J ewish 
children. Moreover, the law compels the attendance of children in 
these schools, and in those sections where there are no governmental 
schools the Jews are permitted to establish private schools under the 
supervision of the Government. If the above laws w^ere literally 
carried out, then the Jewish children would receive elementary educa¬ 
tion in the same proportion as children of other nationalities; but it 
must regretfully be stated that the law is not carried out and that the 
mere fact that a Jewish child applies for admission to a school is 


S. Doc. 611, 63-2-2 



18 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


sufficient for the authorities to place restrictions in the way of his 
entrance. In order to demonstrate this fact, data were collected 
from the Journal Concerning Public Education, published during 
the last three years. This journal is published by the Society for the 
Extension of Education Amongst Jewish Children in Russia, and is 
recognized as authoritative. The following are specific items: 

(1) Beredichev: It need hardly be stated that the majority of the 
population in this city are Jews, and according to the official statis¬ 
tics 90 per cent of its population is Jewish. In that city there are 
two grades of city schools. The city income is derived primarily 
from the Jewish population. It would therefore be justifiable to 
infer that not only should Jewish children attend these schools by 
the rights given them by the laws above quoted, but also by reason 
of the superiority of population and of the fact that the largest part 
of the budget is made up by Jews. Nevertheless, in the year 1911 
there existed in that city 103 vacancies in its public schools, and the 
surprising fact is to be noted that not a single Jewish child was 
drawn on to fill any of them. 

(2) Staro Constantinow, Province of Volina: Jewish population, 
56.5 per cent. In the years 1909, 1910, and 1911 no Jewish children 
were admitted to any of the Government schools in that city. 

(3) Proskurow, Province of Podolsk: Jewish population, 80 per 
cent. The city schools are maintained exclusively by the income de¬ 
rived from the Jewish population. In 1911 not only was admittance 
refused to Jewish children, but 20 Jewish pupils who had previously 
attended the Government schools were discharged. In the year 1912 
not a single Jewish child was admitted to the Government schools. 

(4) Kiev: The municipality receives annually the sum of 15,000 
rubles from the meat tax imposed on the Jewish population, which 
money is applied to the support of the city Government schools. 
Nevertheless, Jewish children are practically debarred from attend¬ 
ance at such schools on the pretext that no vacancies exist. 

(5) Ilinsch, Province of Kiev: The Jewish population contributed 
the sum of 10,000 rubles toward the opening of a city school on con¬ 
dition that Jewish children be admitted to it in the same proportion 
as children of other nationalities. The municipality accepted this 
donation but did not fulfill the condition under which it was given, 
and while 27 Christians were admitted to this school only 6 Jewish 
children were admitted. 

(6) (< 2 ) Litin, Province of Podolsk; (2>) Dubna, Province of Volina: 
In the year 1912 not a single Jewish child was admitted to any of 
the city schools in any of these places, in spite of the fact that in 
both cities the Jewish poulation is at least 50 per cent of the total 
population. 

(7) Minsk: In the year 1913 thousands of Jewish children who 
made application for admittance to the city schools were rejected. 

(8) Starodub, Province of Chernigow: Twelve Jewish children 
successfully passed the entrance examination and only two were 
admitted. 

(9) In the Province of Kovno hundreds of Jewish children were 
denied admittance to the city schools in 1913. 

From the above facts the utter disregard of the law pertaining 
to the admittance of Jewish children in city schools may be seen. 
The school executives are autocratic, and in their attitude place per- 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


19 


sonal wishes and whims above the written law. To combat this atti¬ 
tude is futile, because it receives the sanction of their superiors. 
There are many instances where this unjust attitude on the part of 
the school executives results in their receiving promotion or recogni¬ 
tion in some form. There is no court of appeals in this matter. By 
the time the complaint that may be made on this score migrates from 
department to department in the Government labyrinth, the Jewish 
child is already grown up. In those rare instances where the com¬ 
plaint receives favorable disposition, so long a period has elapsed 
until the decision is made that the Jewish child has already passed 
the stage of elementary education. 

The only elfective remedy would be to appeal to the Russian people 
directly and to so brand this injustice and hostility to the Jews that 
Russia will be humiliated and measures of relief will be taken. 
Then it may be that the law which is now a dead letter will be res¬ 
urrected. It will undoubtedly be argued. Why should the Jewish 
children press their right of admission to Government schools when 
the Jews have schools-of their own throughout the Pale? And this 
objection sounds all the more plausible in the face of the privilege 
given to Jews to open private schools, as prescribed in section 790, 
volume 9, Code of Civil Rights. In this section it is clearly stated: 

The Jews are privileged to establish private schools in which their children 
may receive education in matters scientific and religions. 

It must be remembered, however, that the expenditure in estab¬ 
lishing such schools is so large and that the economic status of the 
Jews in Russia is so unfavorable as practically to nullify this right. 
The pogroms of 1905, the increased persecutions of recent years, 
have forced the healthiest and most resourceful of the Jews to leave 
Russia, and as a result many villages will be found in which the 
Jewish population has been depleted of its healthy stock. In those 
localities where the JeAvish population attempts to establish private 
schools the long delay which ensues om the application saps the en- 
erg}^ and the vitality of the Jews. Even those who are most enthu¬ 
siastic in agitating for private schools of this kind are compelled for 
this reason to weaken and perhaps to become indifferent. Moreover, 
there are thousands upon thousands of cases which will conclusively 
demonstrate that the efforts to establish Jewish private schools are 
frustrated at every turn. The following are some concrete examples: 

(1) In the city of Attace, county of Sorok, for three years a 
teacher endeavored to receive permission for the opening of a private 
school of three grades, and finally received answer from the school 
inspector of Sorok that permission is granted to open this school, 
but he must first become expert in caligraphy and penmanship. 

(2) In the city of Lutsk, Province of Volina: The Jewish com¬ 
munity submitted a petition to the district supervisor of schools for 
permission to open a school in that city. Their petition was declined, 
and no reason was gi^^en for this action. 

(3) Yaltushk, Province of Podolsk: Two petitions to open an 
elementary school with a Talmud Torah division were successively 
rejected, despite the fact that this community offered to give as 
security the yearly sum of 1,725 roubles that the school would^ be 
properly mamtained. It should be noted in this case that the rejec¬ 
tions were received three years subsequent to the filing of the peti- 


20 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


tion. Similar rejections were made of petitions submitted to the 
Jewish community of Svantschach, Kakitin, Balto, and other cities 
in the Province of Podolsk. 

(4) Dagda, Province of Vitebsk: Over two years ago the Jewish 
community of this city made petition to open a private school, and 
that petition is still pending, in spite of the fact that in the com¬ 
munity there are 200 Jewish children of school age who are without 
any facilities for receiving elementary education. 

Similar instances in overwhelmingly large numbers can be quoted,. 
The above facts will suffice to prove that in spite of the privilege 
accorded Jewish communities to open private schools Jewish chil¬ 
dren are practically left without any means of receiving education 
in any form. From every part of the empire can be heard the cry 
of Jewish children for education. . . ' . 

The situation with reference to Jewish children living outside of 
the Pale is no better. While it is true that in those localities the law 
permits them to receive education equally with children of other 
nationalities, still this law is regarded with the same contempt as 
it is in the provinces of the Pale. It may also be remarked here 
that it must not be assumed that when the authorities grant the peti¬ 
tions of Jewish communities to open schools that such schools are 
thereafter established, for a problem immediately confronts the 
Jewish community to find teachers for the school. Considering that 
the right of residence of Jewish pupils is restricted and that in the 
localities outside the Pale no Jewish teacher is permitted residence, 
it will be seen that schools in such localities can not be opened for 
lack of teachers. This restriction of the rights of residence of Jewish 
teachers is not in accordance with any written law, but is promulgated 
by ministerial circulars and underground decrees. Here is a con¬ 
spicuous case: 

The Jewish community of Kiev filed petition to open two Talmud 
Torahs in Kiev in 1909. The governor general of Kiev, as well as 
the municipality, gave to this petition their moral sympathy. But 
opposition developed in the department of education and the petition 
practically was transferred from department to department until it 
reached the minister of culture and public education. After a long 
period of further delays he granted the petition. In order to put into 
execution the favorable decision of the minister, the matter was 
placed in the hands of the district supervisor, who, angered b}^ the 
fact that the petition was carried above his head, buried the matter 
in his office files until 1911. When at length this supervisor in 1911 
gave permission for the opening of the school in question, the Jewish 
community found that it could not procure the services of Jewish 
teachers because the right of residence was denied them in that city. 
The case was then dropped. By persistent inquiry and search the 
Kiev community was enabled to locate a Jewish teacher with the 
right of residence and the school was opened. And the school, which 
had facilities for 400 children, was opened with 25 pupils and 1 
teacher. By persistent struggle the Jewish community in Kiev, by 
the end of 1912, was given the privilege of having a few more Jewish 
teachers added to the school, on the condition that such additional 
teachers should live in a Province remote from Kiev, and the further 
restriction that such teachers should at the end of the day’s work 
• repair to that remote Province, viz, Slobodka. In comparison with 





JEWISH IMMIGEANTS. 21 

the experiences of other communities in the matter of establishing 
private schools, the Kiev community is to be congratulated on the 
notable success it achieved. 

CHEDARIM. 

As is well known, the teachers of the chedarim are called ‘‘ mela- 
meds.” Their rights are regulated by a special law of March 1, 1893, 
and confirmed by the minister of public education, September 5 of 
the same year. This confirmation was only temporary, but has re¬ 
mained in force up to this writing. According to this law these 
teachers are permitted to teach the pupils matters of religion and 
reading and writing in Yiddish. License must be procured before 
chedarim can be established and such license is given the melameds 
without any examination. According to this law, it would seem that 
everyone has the right to open a chedar; but this law was prac¬ 
tically nullified by a secret decree which declared that everything 
taught in the chedarim must be in the Eussian language. There are 
many cases which show that melameds were prosecuted because Eus¬ 
sian grammars were found in the chedarim, and they were convicted 
under section 1052, volume 1, because they secretly taught the Eus¬ 
sian language. Is it not irony that men should be prosecuted for 
teaching the language of their country? 

It should also be noted that the Talmud Torah enrolls a large num-. 
ber of Jewish children who have no knowledge of the Eussian lan¬ 
guage and the teachers are compelled to speak to them in Yiddish. 
Notwithstanding this fact the teachers are prosecuted if Yiddish is 
spoken in the chedarim. Another restriction must be pointed out. 
The law does not permit male and female pupils to be in the same 
room. Inasmuch as many chedarim consist of one room only, this 
restriction results in the barring of many children from receiving 
education in any form. The law providing for this restriction was 
passed 70 years ago, and has become so long-lived because it is hos¬ 
tile to the Jews. It should be noted that modern laws which are 
more favorable to the Jews are utterly disregarded, while this ancient 
law is still vigorously enforced. Circular April 10, 1909, No. 8502, 
was explained by the minister of public education as follows: 

Permission may be granted for children of both sexes to be in the 
same room only in special instances and the minister is the only one 
empowered to grant that privilege. Many petitions requesting this 
privilege have been filed, but are still pending, and there is no hope 
that action will ever be taken on them. This circular of the minister 
is all the more arbitrary and unjust in the light of section 3877, vol¬ 
ume 11, part 1, of the Code of Civil Eights, wherein it is plainly 
stated that Jewish children of both sexes may receive education in 
the same room. 

Attention is now directed to another class of schools the establish¬ 
ment of which the law permits. These schools are known as ele¬ 
mentary schools. Such schools must be supported only by the Jewish 
community. Such schools must teach arithmetic, history, and geog¬ 
raphy, also Jewish religion and Jewish history, and Jewish prayers 
may also be taught. The course extends over a period of six years. 
Of such schools there are 64 in existence. It should be noted that 
these schools are supported mainly from the candle and meat taxes. 


22 


JEWISH IMMIGKANTS. 


The candle tax is an imposition of 1 ruble for every candle lighted 
by Jews Friday night. The meat tax is an imposition of 14 kopecks 
on every pound of kosher meat purchased by Jews. According to the 
law, it is expressly stated that these taxes are to be applied only 
toward the teaching of Jewish education and Jewish history, and 
not for any other subjects. But in reality the money is not so applied, 
and it has never been used for education in Jewish religion and 
Jewish history. They are expended on subjects not in any Avay relat¬ 
ing to Jewish matters. In order to demonstrate this fact the follow¬ 
ing cases are given, illustrating to what uses the candle and meat 
taxes are put. There were 12 counties in the Province of Wolinsk in 
1910-11. From these taxes there was an income of 325,967 rubles and 
10 kopecks. This sum was expended in the following manner: 


Rubles. 

(1) For maintaining the fire department_ 9,276.00 

(2) For freight'of government! supplies_ 2,246.00 

(3) Applied to the debts of churches and monasteries_ 1,009.00 

(4) Toward maintenance of police departments_ 1,092.00 

rS) The salaries of sheriffs serving summonses on Jews_ 13,000.00 

(6) Contribution to the board of governors, Wolina_ 15,000.00 

(7) Toward maintenance of office the governor of Wolina_ 2,000. 00 

(8) To the publication committee of Moscow_ 135.45 

(9) Toward the Government Bulletin of St. Petersburg_ 281.00 

(9) Toward the Government Bulletin of St. Petersburg_ 281.90 

(10) To printing office, Wolina_ 3,304.00 

(11) For printing official announcements of meat and candle tax_ 1,450. (X) 

(12) Advertising the days for tax collection_ 3,000.00 

(13) For compiling tax lists_ .300.00 

(14) To printing office, Wolina_ 250.00 

(15) To stationery and miscellaneous, Wolina office_ 1, 500. 00 

(16) To stationery and miscellaneous, Wolina office_ 4.452.00 

(17) Repairing highways_ 12,452.42 

(18) For cleaning market places_ 2,211.90 

(19) Contribution to municipality_ 6.872.00 

(20) Contribution to surrogate’s court_ 395.00 

(21) Repairs of sidewalks_ 310.00 

(22) Contribution to city schools (in which there is no Jewish at¬ 
tendance) _ 600.00 

(23) Postal and telegraph office_ 125.00 


From the above it can be seen in what manner the money is spent 
and the utter disregard of the original purposes for Avhich the taxes 
were intended. We see how the Jews of the Province of Wolina 
suport the printing office which issues anti-Semitic literature; main¬ 
tains the police, which is hostile to them; pays the sheriffs for sum¬ 
monses served on them, and are dragged into court to establish right 
of residence. From all the moneys collected from these two taxes 
in the Province of Wolina the Jews receive the benefit of only 9 per 
cent of the sum. 

In the Province of Kiev the meat tax for 131 places reached 
315,000 rubles. From this sum the following items were spent: 


Rubles. 

(1) For Government purposes_ 44, 000. 00 

(2) To the municipality- o! 600. 00 

(3) For transportation of prisoners___ 2, 293. 00 

(4) For night patrols- 2,116.00 

(5) For the village police_20, .510. 00 

(6) For cleaning sewers and streets_ 6, .500. (X) 

(7) For repairing highvAmys- 6,061.00 

(8) For miscellaneous Government expenses_ 6.061.00 

(9) For vaccination (health department)_ ' 44,^'00 


































JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


23 


Aside from the above items, part of the tax was expended for 
orphan asylums (non-Jewish), for maintaining fire departments, 
for maintaining stations for prisoners, for repairing sidewalks, for 
police administration and clerks, for churches, for lighting streets, 
for ice supplies, for supporting schools intermediate between primary 
and high school, for hiring police armories, and for clothing the 
policemen’s servants. 

The foregoing will show what burdens are imposed on the Kiev 
Jewish community in addition to the regular taxes, which all por¬ 
tions of the population must pay. From the 315,000 roubles collected 
on the two taxes the Jewish community receives the benefit of only 
10 per cent of this amount. (Balance of the memorandum relates to 
high schools.) 

EDUCATIONAL LAWS OF ROUMANIA DISABLING FOREIGN CHILDREN FROM 

ATTENDING PRIMARY SHOOLS, 1887-1900. 

[The phrase “ foreign childreu ” means children of all those not Roumanian citizens, and 

citizenship is denied to native-born Jews, with the exception of a very few able to 

secure special laws naturalizing them specifically.] 

Law^ July., 1887 .—If the number of enrolled pupils is so great as 
not to be within the limitations of the schools, preference shall be 
given to children whose parents are Roumanian born or naturalized, 
and if this number shall exceed the limitations, Roumanian children 
shall be enrolled in the order of their application. If, after the 
admission of all Roumanian children, there still remains a number 
of vacant places, they may be utilized by children of foreign nation¬ 
alities, in the order of their application and in accordance with the 
limitations existing. 

Effect: Many Jewish children refused admittance; at Botaschani 
alone 114 Jewish pupils were sent back notwithstanding the fact that 
these pupils were noted for zeal, intelligence, and progress. The 
same in Patria, Galatz, etc. From 1888 to 1893 much agitation, but 
no definite laws. 

Law^ May 23 to June J, 1893 .—All foreign children must pay a 
tax of 15 francs for rural schools and 30 francs for city schools. 

Effect: Many Jewish children were excluded because there were 
no vacancies under the law of limitation, still others could not pay 
the tuition fee, while a great number were excluded simply owing to 
the caprice of the directors. 

Statistics: Jewish school children, 1891 to 1892, 19,577 Jewish out 
of 24*116 foreign children. Of Roumanian children there were 
51,786. 

Law^ 1896 .—Article 1: Instruction in primary schools is obligatory 
and free for all Roumanians. 

Article 2: Certificates, documents, etc., relating to primary-school 
instruction are exempt from the stamp tax. 

Article 3: Foreigners, excepting those who are established in 
Dobroudja, must pay a tuition fee fixed by the rule applying in the 
existing law. The minister in exceptional cases may, at his discre¬ 
tion, exemjit foreign children from this tuition fee. 

Article 4: If the number of pupils applying exceed the number of 
available jfiaces, preference shall in all cases be given to Roumanian 
children. 


24 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


Ministerial decision, June 6, 1896, aggravating the law: Not ex¬ 
empt from stamp tax are all Idnds of demands, documents, certifi¬ 
cates, etc., addressed to directors of schools or school authorities by 
foreign children attending primary school or foreign children receiv¬ 
ing home preparation or foreign children attending private insti¬ 
tutions. 

It is not permitted that collective petitions be made by the direction 
of the directors of Jewish schools; every petition must have as many 
stamps as there are pupils in the Jewish schools from which the 
petition emanates. 

Ministerial decree, June 8,1896—Article 22: Only Roumanian chil¬ 
dren are exempt from paying an examination tax. Jewish children 
must in all cases pay such tax, and the poor are not exempt from this 
regulation. 

Circular, No. 50183, September, 1898: The actual state of things 
makes the question not one of providing places for foreign children— 
the situation at present is that the vacant places can not accommodate 
even one-half of the Roumanian children. (Note that at the time 
there were 106,826 Roumanian children.) ' 

Statistics: In 1896 the number of Jewish pupils in public schools 
represented 54 per cent of the total enrollment, while, as stated pre¬ 
viously, in 1891-2 the number represented 16 per cent. 

Effect of law^s, circulars, and decrees of 1896: Large masses of 
foreigners, expecting only the worst, refrained from even making an 
attempt to have their children provided with public instruction in 
primary schools. The teachers in the various schools bated and 
mocked Jewish children. 


PART II, SECONDARY EDUCATION. 

1898 .—Article 2: Instruction in secondary and superior 
schools is gratuitous for all Roumanian children. Foreign children 
may be admitted to such schools only on the condition that there are 
available places left after providing for all Roumanian children. 
In the event that such vacancies can be found, foreign children must 
pay a tax, to be fixed by a definite rule for each school. The minister 
may exempt such pupils as he deems worthy from taxation. 

Statistics: In 1895 to 1896 Jewish pupils in secondary schools con¬ 
stituted 104 per cent of the total enrollment. In 1896 to 1897 the 
number amounted to 11 per cent, and in 1898 to 1899 the number de¬ 
creased to 74 per cent. One of the great factors for this reduced per¬ 
centage was the economic condition of the majority of the Jewish 
people in Roumania. To pay a tax was an insuperable obstacle in 
most cases, and the minister very rarely exempted Jewish people 
from the tax. 

, TART III. 

AVith reference to the exclusion laws regarding professional 
schools, in some schools there is a total exclusion of Jews and in some 
there is the tax and percentage basis. The tax is 90 francs for pro¬ 
fessional schools and 150 francs for commercial schools. Regarding 
agricultural schools, the conditions were made so vexatious and com¬ 
plex as to result in the practical exclusion of all Jewish pupils. 



i 


JEWISH IMMIGKANTS. 25 

Finally Jewish pupils are excluded from normal schols and from 
the marine school. 

ADDENDUM. 

In the face of all these accumulative restrictions the Jews never lost 
heart, and in order to prevent their children from becoming totally 
Ignorant they were compelled to rely on their own schools. But even 
regarding such schools the Government saw fit to adapt qualifying 
meapres. For example, circular No. 355 of April 4, 1900, of the 
minister of public instruction compelled all Jewish schools to give 
instruction on the Sabbath. 

EDUCATIONAL LAW^S OF EOUMANIA DISABLING FOREIGN CHILDREN FROM ATTENDING 

PRIMARY SCHOOLS, 1898-1913, 

Law^ July J, 1900 .—Article 1: Instruction in primary schools is 
obligatory and free for Roumanians. 

Article 2: All certificates or documents relating to primary instruc¬ 
tion are exempted from the stamp tax. 

Article 3: Parents or guardians of children born in Roumania are 
obliged to send them to the public primary schools from the age of 
7 to 14, inclusive. Those parents or guardians of Roumania children 
who can prove that they give their children an equivalent to the 
studies in public primary schools, either at home or in private insti¬ 
tutions recognized by the Government, are exempt from this appli¬ 
cation. 

Article 4: Children of foreigners, except those living in Dobroudja, 
will pay a tuition fee for entrance into public primary schools, to 
be regulated by the application of the present law. The minister of 
public instruction is given the discretion to waive this regulation 
whenever he sees fit. 

Article 5: In the event that the number of seats in a public pri¬ 
mary school shall be insufficient to seat all children of school age, the 
children of Roumanians shall in all cases receive the preference. 

Article 15 (concerning rural schools) : In those rural towns where 
there is a scarcity of appropriate buildings for primary-school pur¬ 
poses, -foreign children are excluded, and only those Roumanian chil¬ 
dren may be admitted who belong to one of the following three cate¬ 
gories: (1) Those Roumanian children who have of their own voli¬ 
tion registered at the beginning of the school year; (2) those who are 
the smaller children in large families; (3) those Roumanian chil¬ 
dren wdiose homes are nearest to the schools. 

Article 36 (concerning the pedagogical institute, otherwise Imown 
as the normal school) : Only Roumanians may be admitted to these 
schools. 

Laic^ August 28, Reaffirms all the provisions cited from the 

law^ of July 5, 1900, merely modifies certain administrative functions. 

Law, May 9, 1902 .—Regulations concerning the examinations for 
entrants into higher courses of pupils prepared at home or in private 
institutions recognized by the Government. 

Children of Roumanians who have prepared themselves in private 
schools recognized bv the Government or in charity schools where 
instruction is free or for a normal cost are exempt from the payment 
of an examination tax. This does not apply to children of foreigners. 


26 


JEWISH IMMIGRANTS. 


EDUCATIONAL J.AWS OF HOUMANIA DISAHLINO FOUKJGNEKS FROM ATTENDING PROFES¬ 
SIONAL SCHOOLS, 1900-1013. 

Law^ August 29, 1901 .—Article 8: Instruction in public profes¬ 
sional schools is free for the sons of Koumanians. The sons of for¬ 
eigners will have to pay a tuition fee which will be fixed by the regu¬ 
lations for each school, and such tuition fees will be turned over to 
the treasurer of the school. In the case of deserving or poor sons of 
foreigners, the minister has the right to dispense partly or totally 
with this regulation. In no case shall the number of foreigners ad¬ 
mitted to these schools be more than the fifth part of the total 
enrolled. 

Kespectfully submitted February 4, 1914. 

Herman Bernstein, 

Isaac A. Hourwich, 

Joseph Jacobs, 

Samuel Joseph, 

I. Irving Lipsitch, 

Samuel Mason, 

I. M. IIUBINOW, 

Abraham Solomon, 

Helen Winkler, 

Max J. Kohler (chairman), 

David M. Bressler (secretary). 

Committee. 


o 


7 





